Odisha Cop Enters Puri Jagannath Temple Despite Restrictions

Bhubaneswar: Violating the COVID-19 lockdown, Deepak Jena, the IIC of Barchana police station in Jajpur district, and his family members allegedly entered the Jagannath Temple in Puri for ‘darshan’ of the sibling deities on Sunday.

When a havildar tried to stop him, he threatened him and pushed his way into the temple through the South Gate despite the fact that it is closed for visitors, sources said.

Jena and his family members were later detained by police on the basis of a complaint lodged by the havildar at Singha Dwara police station and further probe is on.

Following the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown to check its spread, the Odisha government had suspended ‘darshan’ at the temple. Only sevayats are allowed into the temple for puja and rituals.